More than 100 people crammed into Devoran Village Hall last night to discuss plans for the future of the old Victorian school which closed during the summer.

The old school, in the centre of the village, is owned jointly by the Diocese of Truro and the county council with a small part owned by a locally run church trust.

The meeting was called by the parish council who have commissioned a planning brief from conservation experts Conservation Studio as to future uses of the listed building. At the same time the Diocese of Truro which owns part of the site, is about to submit a planning application to Carrick council to convert the school into up to eight residential units and part for commercial use.

The parish council had hoped the Diocese would hold back on the application until all avenues had been explored but it was made clear last night that the plan would be submitted and if approved, the site would be sold.

Alan Truan, parish clerk told those present that it was not too late for other sustainable ideas to be put forward. He said Carrick council would be treating the matter very seriously despite the Diocesan plans being submitted in advance.

As the meeting began, a show of hands made it clear people did not want the old school turned totally into residential use although felt a portion would be ideal for affordable housing.

Many had already raised concerns over plans by the Diocese of Truro for up to eight residential units along with workshops and possible related apartments.

Mr Matthew Williams for the diocese made it clear that a scheme for the site would soon be submitted to Carrick council and if approved the diocese would seek to sell the site for development. It would then be up to the developer to take the issue further if desired.

He said the diocese had a duty to obtain the best possible price for the property with all proceeds being ploughed back into education at church schools within Cornwall. He appreciated the views of all those present and if any further suggestions proved viable they would be investigated. But they had to be sustainable, he added. The diocese had known for two years that the school would be closing and had spent a long time coming up with proposals for its future.

Mr Eddie Booth from the Conservation Studio put forward a number of schemes for the school, not least one including two to three residential units with the remainder of the building being put to commercial and community use. They would form part of the planning brief now being prepared.

Devoran School is a listed building built on land donated to the church in the 1800s for education purposes. It has been extended to over the years, the last time by the county council in the 1990s and taking in the former Devoran market place.

The number of people attending last night's meeting proved how concerned people were for the future of the school, said Mr Booth.

Parish clerk Alan Truan emphasised the importance of the issue. It had been hoped the diocese would hold back on its application until a full planning document had been prepared and adopted by Carrick council. Any decision on the future of the school building was not one that would be taken lightly. This was a serious issue and of great importance to Devoran and its residents. In a previous questionnaire, 94 per cent of the households responding agreed to some mixed development, he said.

A member of Devoran pre-school, currently operating out of the chapel said the group could easily make use of some of the facilities in the old Devoran School. They were ready made and ready to move into and enclosed. The group desperately wanted to expand. It had more children wanting to join, yet could not accommodate them at present. The pre-school had made their views known months ago and questioned why little had been done.

The closing of the village school had also taken part of the social activity of the village away. "It had moved up the road," she said.

Questions were also raised over the property ownership of the old school and why the Diocese of Truro were selling it. The meeting was told that ownership of the school was "complex" and no value could be put on it until planning had been approved. The county council, 45 per cent by the diocese and 10 per cent by a local church trust owned Forty-five per cent. The county council was taking a "back seat" on the issue.

Mr Williams did not comment to suggestions the site had been valued at £2million.

Residents were asked to complete a further questionnaire or to make their comments known to the Conservation Studio by Monday.

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